Emerging Irish riders of 2021 are best at National Hill Climb Champs

*Linda Kelly has really shone this season and she was fastest in the women's race held as part of the National Hill Climb Championships in Co Galway (Photo: John Hammer)*

Joel Luke and Linda Kelly have been to the fore in some of the biggest races on the domestic scene of late and today they turned that top condition into wins at the National Hill Climb Championships.

UCD Cycling Club rider Luke won the elite men’s gold in Killarainy, Moycullen, Co Galway, today having revealed his form recently with a breakaway ride at the Des Hanlon Memorial.

Linda Kelly, who broke through at Rás na mBan with 5th in the uphill TT last month, won the women's race today. The Barrow Wheelers rider adds her win today to the bronze medal she won last weekend in the elite women’s road race at the National Road Championships in Co Wicklow.

However, as not enough women took part in the National Hill Climb Championships today, their event did not count as a national title race**. And though today's race promoter, Connacht Cycling, has decided to send medals to the top three women, none were presented to them today.

In the men’s title race today, new champion Joel Luke beat Lindsay Watson (Powerhouse Sport) to gold by the tightest of margins. The gold and silver medals were decided by just six one hundredths of a second.

Luke clocked a time of 4mins 48.56 seconds and Watson recorded a time of 4mins 48.62 seconds. Conor Kissane of Killarney Cycling Club took the bronze, in a time of 4.54.10.

In the women’s race, while the margin of victory was bigger, Kelly still had to beat another one of the female breakthrough riders of this year, Becky Woods of All human-VeloRevolution.